Authorities in Guthrie Center are investigating the cause of a fire late Monday night that destroyed a residence, there. According to Guthrie County Dispatch, the fire at 2041 190th Road began at around 6:30-p.m., Monday. The home is owned by Will and Jennifer Bates. Jennifer entered the structure after returning from a track and field meet. She quickly ran out of the home after seeing smoke and flames.

Officials say no one was injured. The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately clear.  Panora Volunteer Fire Department crews assisted Guthrie Center Fire, at the scene.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reports 37-year old Robert Girard, of Lenox, was arrested Tuesday, in the 400 block E Ohio on March 13th. Girard was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, and was being held at the Taylor County Jail on $1,000 cash only bond.

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports two people were arrested on drug charges overnight Tuesday into early this (Wednesday) morning. At around 10p.m. Tuesday, Deputies with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office served an arrest warrant on 20 year old Max Allen Mitchell, of Farragut.

Deputies had been investigating Mitchell for illegal sales of narcotics. He was arrested at his home without incident and transported to the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center on warrants for delivery of LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, fentanyl, and xanax. Mitchell is currently being held on a $202,000.00 cash only bond.

And, at around 1-a.m. today (Wednesday),  Deputies with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office served another arrest warrant on 19 year old Irineo Ramon Gonzalez, of Sidney. Deputies had been conducting an on-going investigation on Gonzalez, who was arrested on warrants and also found to be in possession of a controlled substance during the arrest.

Gonzalez was transported to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office for the warrants of Controlled substance violation, Using a minor in the Drug trade, and possession of a controlled substance. He was being held in the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center on a $61,000.00 cash only bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for causing recurring flooding that damaged farms and property in four Midwest states along the Missouri River. The ruling Tuesday in Washington says the government must compensate farmers, landowners and business owners for the flood damage in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. The damage has been estimated to exceed $300 million.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A legislative aide to the former Republican majority leader of the Iowa Senate is leaving his job, one day after his boss resigned for kissing a Statehouse lobbyist. Senior Senate Aide Ed Failor, who reported to Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix, announced his resignation late Tuesday afternoon. Failor’s exit is effective immediately. Failor tells The Associated Press he didn’t want to be a “distraction” as Senate Republicans elect a new leader Wednesday to replace Dix.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A judge has ordered an Iowa youth basketball coach jailed on a federal child pornography charge until a detention hearing Thursday. Greg Stephen, until recently the co-director of the Iowa Barnstormers, was handcuffed and shackled during an initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon in Cedar Rapids. Stephen was arrested by the FBI earlier in the day. Investigators say he confessed to secretly recording three adolescent players disrobing.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge has denied the appeal for reinstatement of a former Polk County sheriff sergeant fired for insubordination and gender bias. The Des Moines Register reports says Polk County District Judge Paul Scott ruled Friday that former Sgt. Dan Charleston failed to show that a county commission wrongly affirmed Sheriff Bill McCarthy’s decision to fire Charleston last year. Charleston was accused of giving preferential treatment to male subordinates and of gender bias, and he was fired June 23.

Probation officers, assisted by Fremont County Sheriff’s Deputies, searched a residence in Sidney Tuesday, and discovered several items of drug paraphernalia and suspected controlled substances. As a result, 29-year old James Hume, of Sidney, was arrested for Possession of Controlled Substance, (meth) 2nd offense, Possession of a Schedule IV controlled Substance 2nd Offense, Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Hume was being held at the Fremont County Jail on $5,300 bond. Other charges are pending.

James Hume

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A prominent youth basketball coach in Iowa has been arrested and charged in federal court with knowingly transporting child pornography. Greg Stephen, the co-founder of the Iowa Barnstormers of the Amateur Athletic Union, was expected to make his initial appearance this (Tuesday) afternoon in Cedar Rapids.

A complaint alleges Stephen confessed to secretly recording three adolescent boys naked in a hotel room during a trip to Illinois.

FLOYD, Iowa (AP) — A northeast Iowa prosecutor says the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by officers was justified. Twenty-nine-year-old Jihad Merrick was killed the night of Jan. 17 alongside U.S. Highway 218 in Bremer County. Merrick’s car was stopped for speeding after he’d been reported pointing a gun at his own head at a Floyd truck stop. Deputies say that after the stop he got in and out of his vehicle with a handgun to his head.

Officers approached his car after he fired a shot inside it and then struggled to remove him. He was able to put the car in gear and accelerate. An officer fearful of being run over yelled for other officers to shoot, and two of them did. County Attorney Kasey Wedding said in a news release Tuesday the shooting was justified because of the threat Merrick posed.

For nearly 30 years, Alliant Energy’s Iowa utility and Trees Forever have partnered through Branching Out to help Iowa communities plant a diverse mix of trees. These efforts have allowed trees to live longer and provide decades of energy savings to those communities.  Thanks to the latest round of Branching Out grants, 35 communities will complete 38 tree-planting projects this spring. More than $150,400 in grant money was awarded. Additional projects will be funded after another round of grant applicants submit fall proposals, which are due June 1st.

Among the area grant recipients:

• Atlantic received a $3,030 grant for the Schildberg Quarry City Park
• Creston received $9,900 for the Greater Regional Hospital, Harmony Cemetery, Southwester Community College, High Lakes shooting range, the middle- and elementary schools.
• Greenfield received $1,600 for the East Elementary School, Adair County Health and Fitness Center, Purdy Sports complex, the Greenfield Manor, and along the streets.

Branching Out is an energy efficiency program that brings together community volunteers, Trees Forever and Alliant Energy. Community leaders create specific tree-planting projects, and Alliant Energy provides funding for the trees. Experts from Trees Forever assist in the correct placement, planting and care of the trees for energy efficiency and aesthetic appeal. Doug Kopp, president of Alliant Energy’s Iowa utility says, “When you plant a tree, you’re creating a legacy. Fifteen years from now you can come back and see what you’ve done and it is impressive. These trees provide a benefit to the community in terms of energy efficiency and carbon reduction for years to come and we’re proud to be a part of it.”

“Our efforts help trees live longer!” said Meredith Borchardt, Trees Forever program manager. “Branching Out helps community volunteers select the best species for each location. Then we assist each community in developing a care and maintenance plan to help ensure these trees will live for decades. That’s important because the energy savings continue to grow as the trees get older and older.”

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday) released a report on an accident that happened March 6th, 2018, at 10:45 a.m.  The single-vehicle accident happened on White Pole Road, as a 2005 Toyota Rav4 owned and driven by 24-year old Kendal Leslie Arnold, of Elliott, was traveling southbound. The SUV hit a slick patch on the road, entered the west ditch, crashed through a fence,  and came to rest in a field. No injuries were reported. Damage to the vehicle is estimated at $1,000; damage to the fence is estimated at $250.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday), released a report on recent arrests. On Monday, (3/12), 21-year old Skyler James Svoboda, of Atlantic, was arrested on a warrant out of Story County. Svoboda was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $2,000 bond. Two people were arrested Sunday, in Cass County: 26-year old Jennifer Renee Avey, of Griswold, was arrested for Public Intoxication. Avey was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day after appearing before the magistrate; and 28-year old Cam Christopher Jahnke, of Lewis, was arrested Sunday, on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault 1st Offense. Janhnke was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day after appearing before the magistrate.

On Saturday, 35-year old Steven Micheal Scott Beck, of Carroll, was arrested on a Cass County District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. Beck remains held at the Cass County Jail on $2,000 bond. And, last Friday, 53-year old Donald Duane Worth, of Early, was arrested by Cass County Deputies for Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations, Public Intoxication, and Disorderly Conduct. Worth was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on his own recognizance.